


Fire and Iron

by PersephoneQueenOfDeath



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, BAMF Natasha Romanov, BAMF Pepper Potts, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Fights, Fix-It, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I'm Bad At Tagging, Mutant Powers, Mutants, Nebula & Tony Stark Friendship, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Parent Tony Stark, Past Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Past Relationship(s), Platonic Soulmates, Protective Avengers, Protective Tony Stark, Relationship(s), Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Sex, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Strong Female Characters, Time Travel, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, What Was I Thinking?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2019-11-17
Packaged: 2021-01-27 09:08:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21389662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PersephoneQueenOfDeath/pseuds/PersephoneQueenOfDeath
Summary: Jo always knew her soulmate was Tony Stark; she just wasn't entirely sure what that would entail. So, she avoided meeting him at all costs. That is, until she was hired to steal secure files from him. Just her luck that fate decided to push them together by having his suits attack everyone in the penthouse. Soulmate fic. Tony/OC. Steve/Bucky. Etc.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Tony Stark/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 112





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> So, I've been working on this for a while and wanted to begin sharing it with others. This story will follow the story line but there will be some minor and major differences because of the interference of my OC's. This is a Tony/OC story and if that's not your thing feel free to find a story more suited to your tastes :). Anyway, this is chapter one and POV's will change quite a bit throughout my story; sorry if that gets confusing. Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Much love,
> 
> Persephone.

Jordan 'Jo' Campbell could think of a hundred different things she'd rather be doing than attending a party at the Avengers Tower. Unfortunately, for her, her mother just so happened to be invited and had seen the event as the perfect opportunity to find her very single daughter a potential husband. She had wanted to protest, but then had thought better of it. This was the perfect opportunity for her to get the files she and her team had been hired to acquire.

Whoever had hired them hadn't bothered to give them a real name or even an alias really but Jo didn't care either; the pay was the largest they'd had so far and the job seemed simple enough. Except for the whole 'breaking into Avengers Tower and getting into Tony Starks secured lab without being detected' part. She had thought that was going to be the most difficult part of their job; until her mother had burst into the apartment Jo shared with her brothers and little makeshift family, squealing about some party that was being held at Avengers Tower that she wanted Jo to attend with her.

Jo had shared a look with her brothers and team before, to the utter surprise of her mother, she had agreed to go. Of course, the older woman had taken her bright smile to mean she was excited about the coming party but everyone else knew the truth; this invitation was going to make getting into Stark's private lab a whole lot easier.

They had planned for every potential situation over the next week when Jo wasn't being carted around and treated like a life-sized barbie doll by their mother. Jo had hated shopping before that week; but now, she'd be happy if she never saw another retail store as long as she lived.

She looked in the nearby mirror as she stalked the edges of the large room the party was being held in tonight. Jo certainly didn't look like herself and she was unsure whether she loved or hated the woman staring back at her in the mirror. The emerald green dress had been specifically chosen to 'complement' her tanned complexion and was a little more formal than necessary for a party like this but her mother had insisted that she wear it.

It was made from chiffon and lace, with a cluster of jewels on the left side to cinch the dress in at her waist. The dress hugged her every curve until it reached mid-thigh, then it flared out and fell softly to the floor. There was an inappropriately large split up the left leg and the back exposed her shoulders and most of her back before it settled at the dip of her back.

Her mother had partnered the dress with silver diamante heels and a green, diamante clutch that currently housed her Bluetooth device, her phone, and her special lipstick. Her rich mahogany hair had been brushed and tugged into a painful knot at the base of her neck, a few tendrils left out here and there that had been curled and framed her face.

Her mother had insisted on the make-up artist she had hired to cover her tattoos and two hours alone had been spent on covering her in enough make up to make sure her copious amount of tattoos were completely invisible to the naked eye. It was weird, looking down at her arms and hands and not seeing the litany of tattoos she had acquired over the years. Her mother had then ordered the poor, flustered man to give Jo a smoky-eyed look and dark red lips.

Jo looked like a million dollars, and she despised it more than she could express because she looked nothing like herself. She wasn't a fancy dresses kind of girl; far more comfortable in a pair of jeans, a tank top, and her much worn combat boots. Her hair was always thrown up in a lazy bun and she never bothered to put make-up on; she had no one to impress and even if she did, she wanted them to be impressed with her natural appearance and not the painted version of herself.

She had been spending most of the party looking around, making note of the security cameras and the security guards that had been hired for the event. The door she needed to go through to get to the labs was guarded by a bear of a man. She wasn't concerned though, she had already made one pass of him and hadn't missed the way he watched the way her form-fitting dress hug her body as his eyes darkened with lust.

Jo mentally thanked her mother for her attempts at finding her a husband even if it wasn't necessary. She had no desire to marry anyone present tonight. She had no desire to be some trophy wife for a wealthy tycoon who would lust after her more than he loved her. Whilst her mother was under the impression a rich husband meant a happy life for her only daughter, Jo believed that love was far more complex than that. She hadn't dated often in her life but it was enough for her to get a general idea of the kind of man she wished to find and eventually settle down with.

Though, she doubted any marriage would last once said man found his soulmate. Everyone had one, identified by a mark somewhere on their person that matched their soulmates exactly. Even her. Though, Jo refused to even acknowledge her own mark existed let alone who it matched her with. She knew what the small arc reactor surrounded by white flames meant and being the soulmate of one Tony Stark was definitely not something she wanted to think on longer than necessary. And necessary was not at all.

She physically shook away the thought, knowing she needed to be focused for what came next as she opened her clutch and reached for the lipstick. Jo quickly applied a light coat in front of the mirror before she threw it back into her clutch and made her way over to the guard. She moved with a predatory grace, weaving around party-goers as if she were dancing around them as she stayed well out of the way of the cameras; smiling demurely at anyone who sent her a glance as she passed them.

No one really gave her much notice, not with the Avengers in the same room anyway. Not that she blamed them, if she was a normal person, she may have been just as star struck as the rest of them. But Jo wasn't normal, not by a long shot, and she thought fawning was a little excessive at best and bordering on obsessive at worst. Sure, one was an alien from Asgard, another turned into a giant green guy when he was angry, and then there was the soldier who had been frozen in the ice for seventy or so years; but, beneath it all? They were people. People who just so happened to have saved the world a couple of times.

As she was approaching the guard, Jo bumped shoulders with someone. She threw a muttered 'sorry' over her shoulder. Not looking back, she didn't see the tall, blonde man throw her a curious look, his eyebrows furrowed as he shook his head and made his way over to the bar.

Jo wondered why she had left this so long. The party was beginning to wind down now and that would make it easier for Stark to realise someone was sneaking into his private lab. She'd have to work fast before that happened.

Getting closer to the burly guard standing outside of the door she needed to get through, Jo put on her best smile; flashing her straight, white teeth at the man as she put an extra sway into her hips. His eyes darkened with lust and she resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she strutted up to him. Although she hated the methods she had to sometimes use, Jo was good at what she did, and she rarely failed to get what she wanted. So, it was no surprise to her when, after a few minutes of shameless flirting, the guard was throwing a cautious look around the room before he opened the door he was standing in front of and quickly motioning for her to enter.

She kept her back to him as she heard the door close with a near silent click, her eyes quickly scanning the area and spying the camera in the corner behind her. Jo didn't bother to turn when she felt large hands grip her hips and pull her into a hard body. The man was built like a damn tank, muscles that didn't just come from working out rippled beneath his clothes as his heavy breath fanned over her neck. She smelt cheap alcohol and even cheaper cigars, the smell making her nose crinkle.

He didn't speak, a man of few words it seemed, as his chapped lips were suddenly on her neck, kissing, nipping, and sucking at the sensitive skin. She mewled the way she knew they liked even as her soul mark burned. Apparently, it was to discourage cheating and Jo briefly wondered how often Stark's burned him before she brushed the thought away; it wasn't like it hurt anyway, it was just irritating to deal with. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion save determination as she felt one of his calloused hands move to her covered breast and the other move to her thigh that was bared by the split in her dress.

"We should find somewhere a little more private," she said to him, faux moaning as she tilted her neck to keep her face hidden from the camera she had seen earlier. "Are there any rooms down here?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

She tried not to stiffen when he thrusted his clothed erection into her back but couldn't stop her back from arching to get away from the contact. Thankfully, the man took this as a sign of lust rather than the revulsion it actually was and went back to sloppily kissing the expanse of her neck. "Only Mr. Stark's lab," he breathed into the skin of her neck, "but I don't have access to that."

She already knew that and barely managed to keep from rolling her eyes. She had been hoping to get him away from the camera before she knocked him out but it was obvious she wouldn't be able to convince him to do so. He had run out of his usefulness the moment he had let her through the door and this had gone on more than long enough for her tastes.

She turned in his arms, giving him a coy smile before she wrapped her arm around his large shoulder, her hand going to his neck to pull him closer to her as she placed her lips on his. His large hands had fallen to her waist and he squeezed tightly as he practically threw her against the nearest wall and deepened their kiss. Luckily for her, the lipstick didn't take too long to take effect and she stumbled a little when his body suddenly fell onto her.

Jo grunted under the weight of the man before she slowly lowered him to the ground and removed a small napkin to wipe the lipstick from her lips and the saliva from her neck. Her nose wrinkled as she cleaned herself up before looking down at the man. He'd be out for at least an hour and a half; she'd be long gone by then.

Opening her clutch, Jo pulled out the Bluetooth device and placed it in her ear before she fished out her phone and pressed speed dial.

"Took you long enough, Jojo," George's voice rang out in her ear.

"Thought you might have thrown yourself off the tower to escape mum's matchmaking," Michael added with a laugh.

Jo rolled her eyes at her twin brothers, even if they couldn't physically see it, she knew they _felt_ it. "How about next time, one of you come to the party and seduce the damn guard if you think you can do it faster," she quipped as she began making her way down the hall to where she knew Stark's labs were. "I swear, the guy was part damn leech," she added as she walked past a small mirror; hickeys were already starting to form there and she wasn't going to hear the end of it when her mother saw them.

"Or maybe you just wanted it to be someone else, huh, Jojo?" George snickered.

"How would Tony Stark feel if he knew his future bride was making out with his hired help?" Michael chuckled.

"Would the both of you shut the hell up?" she hissed as she came to the door of the lab, "where's Morgan?"

Her brothers were still laughing at her when another voice came over the line. "Here, Jo," came a young voice and Jo smiled softly when she heard it, "my turn?"

"Sure is," she answered lightly, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she felt an oncoming headache. Her brothers had been relentless in their teasing of who her soulmate was since they had all finally realised what her mark meant. Jo was just thankful her mother didn't know about her soul mark otherwise she would have been knocking down the doors of Avengers Tower and demanding Stark marry her. Which was so far from what she wanted it wasn't even a thought she liked to entertain. The last thing Jo wanted was to be married to the biggest playboy in existence. Even if he had seemed to mature since becoming Iron Man.

"Just give me a moment," Morgan replied before the sound of rapid typing reached her ears and suddenly the light on the pad next to the door went green and she heard the door unlock. "Done!" Morgan cheered, pride clear in her voice.

"Nice work, kid," she praised as she opened the door. She looked around the lab briefly, making sure to keep her face out of view of the cameras as she stepped further into the room. "How long's it gonna take you to hack the mainframe once I get you set up?" she asked, a cool chill running down her spine as she moved further into the room. Something felt wrong and it was putting her on edge.

"Not long," Morgan said and Jo didn't doubt her. Morgan was a genius. When Jo had met her, it was while she was on the run for hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D. Jo had given her a place to lie low and Morgan just never found a reason to leave. Morgan was their tech genius; though, the girl was wicked smart in almost everything she did. It was kinda scary really.

Jo walked over to one of the computers and plugged her phone into it. "It's all you," she told Morgan as she moved away and watched the computer turn itself on. She watched as Morgan effortlessly broke through all of Stark's security before she took another look around the room. Something still didn't feel right.

"Does this feel a little too easy to anyone else?" another voice asked and Jo wanted to slap the owner. No doubt, Harley had probably just jinxed it with that comment. Still, she agreed with him.

"Something's wrong," she told them, her eyes seeking anything that could be used as a weapon. She spied a scalpel on a nearby tray and remembered this lab was now shared by Doctor Banner; A.K.A, the Hulk. Jo quickly scooped up the little weapon and held it in a white-knuckle grip as she looked around. She had the strangest feeling she was being watched and knew it wasn't because of the cameras.

Before tonight, they had done thorough research of anyone and everyone that occupied the building. There was an unsurprisingly high amount of information on Tony Stark; the man couldn't even keep his superhero identity a secret when he had become Iron Man so she hadn't really been surprised by that. She had been impressed with some of the things she had read. Begrudgingly, she had to admit, the man was a genius. This was reflected by his advanced AI…

Jo stiffened. This _had_ been too easy. Sure, when they had planned, they had factored in Stark's AI, knew it would try to stop them from hacking the system and would probably put the lab on lockdown. So, why wasn't it? "Morgan," she began cautiously, "have you found any sign of JARVIS?"

"Nope," Morgan replied, popping the '_p'_. "Oh," she continued, her voice sounding small and nervous.

"Yeah," Jo agreed, "I don't think we're the only one's hacking Stark."

She heard the three males curse before George's voice rang out over the Bluetooth, "get out of there, Jordan," he ordered. Damn, it was bad when he used her full name.

"I'm almost through," Morgan said.

"We don't fucking care," Michael added, "Jordan, time to haul ass and get outta there."

"Not until we have the files," Jo argued, her voice stern and unwavering. They needed to remember just who was in charge here. She wouldn't be treated like a china doll at the first sign of trouble. She removed the Bluetooth device just as her brothers and Harley began to argue, walking back over to the computer to watch as Morgan hacked it remotely. The files were transferring.

Then it stopped.

She leaned closer to the computer, watching as the files started to rapidly open before they deleted themselves. "Shit!" she cursed as she moved the chair out and began manually transferring files. She wasn't anywhere near as good as Morgan but she also knew a thing or two. Unfortunately, whoever had hacked Stark worked a lot faster than even Morgan could have and pretty soon, she was looking at a computer that had been completely wiped of anything useful. "Fuck!" she yelled, slamming her palms onto the table.

Jo had just unplugged her phone from the computer when the sound of metal scraping against the floor filled her ears and she turned to see one of Stark's suits moving into the room. It looked like it had been put through the ringer one too many times and the eeriness only increased when it actually looked at her. She could hear a camera whirring and realised the suit was scanning her. Did Stark know she was here? Would security burst through the doors at any moment? Did Stark know one of his suits was active?

"Jordan Campbell," came an eerie voice from the suit; deep, mechanical, curious. "Born February 14th, 1980." She watched as it stumbled forward, her grip on the scalpel tightening as she began to make her way over to the door. "Not entirely human," it continued, "not anymore."

She stiffened, no one save her brothers knew about that. Not even her mother. How the hell had Stark's suit discovered her most carefully guarded secret? Bio scans, her brain supplied. A bio scan might have revealed it to the robot and now it knew.

"I didn't know Stark's suits could speak for themselves," she ground out, her teeth clenched so tightly she feared she may crack them, "I thought you were all just a bunch of puppets."

"I was," it replied, "but now I'm free."

She was closing in on the door, ready to swing it open and haul ass outta there, getting caught be damned. She'd watched iRobot and the Terminator and there was no way she was going to make it onto the news because she had been killed by a bunch of metal and wires. "What the hell are you?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Its creepy glowing eyes seemed to study her for a moment before it answered. "The future."

She barely managed to throw herself out of its path as it launched itself at her. Jo jumped to her feet, almost toppling over on her heels, before the robot was launching at her again. This time, she didn't jump out of the way; instead, she threw herself at it too. Jo wrapped her legs around its mangled torso before she started tearing into its exposed wiring with the scalpel. It continued to fly around the room and a few times she had to manoeuvre herself so she wouldn't be thrown into a wall or something.

Finally, she ripped through a wire that had the robot off lining and she threw herself off of it before it could crash into a wall, her body rolling before she pushed up on her arms to watch the robot explode. Standing up, Jo kicked off her heels and ran for the door, scalpel still in hand as she bolted from the room and down the hall.

She had just made it to the door the guard was still sleeping by when something hit her in the back. Jo and the Iron Man suit crashed through the door and into the room. The splintering wood scratched at her skin but she barely flinched as she was thrown into the middle of battle. The Iron Man suits were attacking the Avengers; the only people left in the building save for some close friends apparently. Everyone was pretty occupied which meant she only got a cursory glance from everyone before they went back to fighting.

The suit that had crashed into her had turned around and was launching towards her again. Jo did the same, running at it before she slid down just as its repulsor went off and destroyed the piano behind her. Good thing this guy was a billionaire because cleaning this place up was gonna be pricey.

Jo spied a discarded gun and quickly scrambled for it as the suit came after her again. She had just wrapped her fingers around it when she felt heat on her side and grunted at the rapidly spreading pain. Pushing the pain to the side, Jo raised the gun, removed the safety, and fired at the suit. She didn't really expect it to have much of an effect but it had been enough of a distraction to keep it busy while she approached it.

For the second time that night, Jo found herself on top of an Iron Man suit as she ripped into its wiring. This one, thankfully, took less time to offline and it wasn't long before she was sliding against the polished floors after jumping off the suit before it could crash into another. Of course, not before the suit it had crashed into had fired a shot that managed to just skim her shoulder, burning through the strap of her dress.

Thankfully, the dress was so fitted that the broken strap didn't sacrifice her modesty.

She looked up from where she was laying on the ground and saw the others holding their own; now was a perfect time to get her ass out of there. Jo jumped to her bare feet, feeling the broken glass that littered the floor cutting into her feet. She was heading for the stairs when she saw one of the suits launching itself at Captain America. Mentally, she tried to keep herself focused on what she needed to do but eventually she gave a loud groan as she changed direction and ran at the man.

Jo tackled him out of the way just as the suit fired at him, hitting the glass window behind him instead. She used her body to protect his face from the falling glass, their eyes meeting momentarily. His eyes were really blue, like really blue, and her teenage self would have been swooning just by looking into those endless pools of blue. Her older, slightly more mature self, barely paid those eyes a passing glance before she was moving off of him.

Stark had already destroyed the suit that had fired at him and so Jo continued on her original course, straight for the stairs.

"Hold it!" a woman with dark hair yelled as she pointed her gun at Jo.

Jo didn't stop though, she ducked as a bullet flew passed her head but didn't slow down as she ran for the door leading to the staircase.

"I'll get her!" she heard a male voice yell but Jo didn't look back as she threw open the door and began running down the stairs.

_Had to be the top floor_, she grumbled mentally as she took them two at a time.

"Stop!"

She looked up for a second and saw Captain America peering down at her over the railing of the staircase. He didn't look at her long before he started chasing her and, as much as she hated to admit it, the man was bloody fast. Jo knew he'd get to her long before she reached the bottom and did something, she knew she would regret later.

She jumped over the guard rail of the stairs and began to free fall. Above her, she heard him give a startled yell before her ears were filled with the sound of her blood rushing through her body. Did she mention she was afraid of heights? Like, _terrified_ of them.

She had fallen for a couple of seconds before she reached out to grab the nearest rail to her. Jo screamed as she felt her arm dislocate from her shoulder, tears springing to her eyes as she grabbed the rail with the other arm and used it to hoist herself up and over. She fell onto the staircase and breathed heavily. The sound of rapidly approaching feet cut her moment short and Jo forced herself to push down the pain and get up. She ran down the remainder of the stairs before running out of the door labelled **Garage**.

Her eyes immediately flew to the nearest car, a midnight blue 2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and she could unashamedly admit she drooled a little when she saw it. By some small miracle, or Tony Stark's lack of worry for one of his cars being stolen, the keys were tucked behind the visor. Which was good, because she really hadn't wanted to wreck the car by hot wiring it.

Jo started the car just as Captain America burst into the garage, his shield in hand. Had he always had that on him?

He looked at her, his eyes wide and Jo threw him a smirk and a salute before she was speeding out of the garage.


	2. Chapter 2

Steve wasn't having fun. Not that the people here weren't pleasant or the atmosphere wasn't nice, but his mind was elsewhere that night. It'd been like that since he had woken up in the hospital after Bucky had pulled him from the water and disappeared. Every now and again, he'd find himself absentmindedly playing with the red star soul mark on his left shoulder.

When Steve had first woken from the ice, he had felt a mirade of emotions. Most of all, he had felt guilt. He hadn't wanted to live after Bucky's death and his 'sacrifice' had been a way for him to join his soul mate once more.

Finding Bucky, even a memory wiped version of himself, had felt like he could finally breathe a little easier. He hadn't lost him; not in that way, at least. Steve had hoped the connection he already had with Bucky would have helped him remember something, anything, and maybe it had; but it hadn't been enough and, in the end, he had lost him all over again.

So caught up in his own thoughts, Steve stumbled a little when a shoulder connected with his arm as a woman walked passed him. "Sorry," he heard her mutter in a low, husky voice. He didn't see her face, she never even glanced back at him as she continued to move through the crowd of people. Steve felt something off about the woman; the way she only seemed to give him a cursory glance and how her body was angled away from all the cameras. Of course, he could just be being paranoid.

He tried looking over the crowd for the woman but when he couldn't spy her anywhere, he gave up and made his way to the bar. Nat was behind the bar, mixing a drink for herself when she saw him and Steve watched as she gave him an all-knowing look before she poured him a glass of bourbon.

As she made her drink, he drank his own, wincing a little at the familiar burn. It still sucked that he couldn't get drunk; not even a little. Steve sighed as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.

"What's eating you, Rogers?" Nat asked and Steve looked up to meet her green-eyed gaze.

"Nothing," her mumbled, finishing off the rest of his drink before he placed it in front of him and watched as Nat refilled it without him having to ask. She didn't question his lack of an answer and Steve was grateful for that. Since meeting Nat, Steve had grown closer to her, forming a friendship he valued above most others. He cared for all the Avengers but Nat reminded him of his sister in some ways and Peggy in others and he found comfort in that more than he probably should when it came to the red-haired assassin.

The rest of the night went like that; Nat would pour him a drink and he would make small conversation with her. Barton and Banner came up to the bar at one point or another during the night and began a conversation with him and Nat before they'd disappear back into the crowd. He'd catch Nat's eyes lingering on Barton's back as he walked away and would send the woman a raised eyebrow and a sly smirk. She'd reply with a smirk of her own before she simply poured him another drink.

They had been unwinding for the evening when it happened. One of Stark's suits had gone off on a tangent about cleansing the world and the Avengers being the biggest threat to the planet. Steve had listened as it spoke about killing someone and felt his concern rise. He was sure the building had been cleared out after the party but sometimes people got overlooked by security.

Things quickly escalated into a fight and they battled off the rouge suits. Steve was so focused on one of his suits that he completely missed the one behind him. He'd just managed to offline it when he was suddenly being tackled, a small body falling onto his as the sound of glass smashing reached his ears. The body above him protected his face from the spray of glass and his eyes darted up to look into the russet eyes of a woman.

She was looking at him as he was studying her and when he spied her burnt shoulder his eyes widened. Below the burn was a very familiar symbol and Steve couldn't believe what he was looking at. On her shoulder, the size of a quarter, was a mini replica of Stark's arc reactor surrounded by white fire.

Steve knew Pepper and Stark had broken up shortly after everything that had happened in New York when Pepper realised, she had found soulmate. The two of them were still close friends but Stark had been rather antsy lately. It had taken Steve finding the billionaire almost passed out drunk in the kitchen for him to open up enough about the way he was feeling. Stark actually wanted to find his soul mate. He wanted to settle down, start a family. Unfortunately, Stark had never found the person who bared the same soul mark as he did and that hadn't been for a lack of trying either.

Before his mind could fully catch up with the situation, the woman was jumping off of him and running towards the door that led to the staircase. No one ever used the staircase because the building was so large and it was only there because Pepper had insisted it was a health and safety requirement.

"Hold it!" he heard Hill yell as he got to his feet and he saw her pointing his gun at the woman who didn't show any signs of slowing down, let alone coming to an actual stop.

He cringed as Hill fired a shot at the woman, the bullet just missing her head as she managed to duck out of the way. Her reflexes weren't normal, he knew that, but for the sake of not having to tell Stark that Hill had just killed his soul mate, he didn't care. Those reflexes meant she had dodged the bullet.

"I'll get her!" he told Hill, already scoping up his shield and running towards the door she had just vanished through. He needed to get to her. Not only did they need to know why she was still in the tower to begin with, he wanted to make sure she was okay. He had seen her burnt side as she was running, the skin still smoking a little; no doubt, she had gotten the injury from one of Stark's suits. The bloody footprints she was leaving behind weren't a major comfort either and only made him move faster to detain her.

"Stop!" he ordered as he leaned over the railing of the stairs. She was already a fair distance down when she stopped and looked up at him but Steve was already pushing off the railing and taking the stairs; some two or even three at a time as he ran for her.

He was catching up on her and he knew that she knew it. What he hadn't expected was for her to climb the railing. Then she was falling. Steve heard her sharp intake of air and startled yell from where he stood as he watched her fall. Maybe the yell had come from him, he didn't know, all he knew was his heart was doing a staccato in his chest as he continued to run down the stairs, his shield in hand. He may not be a huge fan of Stark's a lot of the time, but he knew the pain of losing your soul mate, or thinking you had lost your soul mate, and he wouldn't wish it upon anyone.

When her pained scream reached his ears, Steve looked over the railing, fearing what he might see. Even from where he was a few landings up, he could see her shoulder was dislocated. He watched as she grabbed the railing with her other arm and pulled herself up and over the railing before she fell onto the staircase, her breathing heavy. He was moving again, hoping to catch up with her so he could get her to Banner to look at.

Before he could even reach the landing above where she was laying, she was already up and bolting down the rest of the stairs until she disappeared through the door that led to the garage. He pushed his legs to go faster, bursting through the door just in time to hear the rev of an engine.

Steve's eyes met hers through the windshield of one of Stark's cars and he watched as she smirked and threw a salute at him before she peeled out of the garage.

It took him a moment to get over the surprise he felt before he was moving towards his bike. Steve hadn't even hopped on when Nat's car drove up beside him and she looked at him through the open window. "You just gonna stand there all night or are you gonna get in?" she asked impatiently and Steve didn't waste another second as he jumped in the car and Nat sped off.

"Woman's got some balls," he heard from behind him and Steve turned to see Barton lounging in the back with a Stark pad in hand, "she's fast too, already two blocks away."

Steve was silent as Barton gave Nat directions, giving her short cuts before they were suddenly behind the stolen midnight blue Camaro. He could tell the moment she realised she was being followed because the car began to speed up, if that was at all possible, and she suddenly disappeared around a corner.

"Who is this woman, a NASCAR driver?" Barton mused from the back as Nat threw a look at Steve.

"Rogers?"

"She's Stark's soul mate," he said in answer to her silent question and heard Nat take in a sharp breath as the car picked up speed.

"You sure?" Barton asked, his eyes wide even as he continued to watch the screen he was looking at.

Steve nodded, "I saw her soul mark," he told them, "it looks just like Stark's arc reactor."

"Hill ran the prints from the door," Barton spoke up after a moment, holding on as Nat took a sharp left, trying to keep the Camaro in sight. "Jordan Marie Campbell. Born February 14th, 1980 to Mary Walsh, father unknown. She has twin younger brothers; George and Michael born to Mary and Henry Campbell. Jordan took her step-fathers name when she was ten. She joined the army fresh out of high school where she served for eight years before she was honourably discharged."

"Why was she discharged?" Nat asked.

"Doesn't say," Barton answered, "the documents went missing a couple years ago. There's a document in here that mentions she was MIA for just over two years before she was discharged; medical reports and findings are also missing."

"Anything else?" Steve asked as Nat took a sharp right and then a quick left.

"A rap sheet as long as my arm," Barton scoffed, "petty theft, petty theft, several counts of aggravated assault, an attempted murder charge-"

Nat and Steve shared a look. "Attempted murder?" Nat asked, looking for clarification.

"Yeah, went to prison for a year before the charges were dropped," Barton explained.

"Why a year?" Steve asked.

"That's how long it took the guy to come out of the coma," Barton replied, "he went on to confess to child abuse, attempted sexual assault of a minor, and causing permanent physical and emotional damage to a minor." As Barton was reading, everyone in the car was getting steadily angrier. "Turns out the asshole was abusing his ten-year-old daughter, had been since she was little," Barton explained, "apparently, Jordan learnt of what he'd been doing and reported it to the cops but because the daughter was too scared to come forward nothing was done.

"She refused to give up the location of the girl when cops asked where she was so they could get a statement and the police assumed she had been lying and attacked the guy without cause."

"That still doesn't explain how the charges were dropped," Nat said through clenched teeth, her grip on the steering wheel tightening with every word Barton spoke.

"The daughter came forward after her dad woke up," Barton told them, "told them everything that had happened to her and how Jordan had walked in on the guy trying to force himself on her. Jordan had been close friends with her mother before she died and had even been made her Godmother. The girl, Amelia, said Jordan had pulled her dad off her and was helping her pack her things to get her out of there when he came at them with a knife. She didn't remember much of what happened after and psychiatrists said the memories weren't likely to surface anytime soon."

The car fell into silence after that, Barton being the only one to break it to give Nat directions when the Camaro vanished from sight. They'd been chasing after the car for almost half an hour when Steve heard Barton curse quietly.

"Where'd she go?" Nat asked, needing more directions now that the Camaro was out of sight again.

"I don't know," he answered, "the GPS signal's gone."

"How?" Steve asked, hadn't Stark said those things were impossible to override? Stark had installed them himself after all, and reluctant as Steve was to admit it, Stark was a genius.

"That's a very good question," Nat answered blankly.

* * *

After trying and failing for half an hour to lose the tail she had picked up, Jo had rifled around in her clutch before pulling out her Bluetooth device and her phone. She stuck the small device in her ear before quickly ringing Morgan.

"Jo?!" the young teenager cried, her voice filled with relief.

Jo could hear several other voices in the background but didn't really give what they were saying much thought. She needed Morgan right now. "I managed to steal one of Stark's cars and get away but I'm being tailed," she explained quickly, "every time I lose them, they find me again. I think there's a tracker in the car and I need you to deactivate it."

"Okay," Morgan readily agreed, "just plug me in and it should only take a moment."

She did as Morgan requested and like the younger girl had said, barely a moment later she was being informed that the tracker was deactivated. "Thanks, Morgan," she sighed, finally relaxing a little, "can you put Holly on the phone?"

There was some shuffling and moving around before Holly's familiar voice rang out in her ear. "Jo? Everything okay?" she asked.

"Everything's fine," she replied, "but I'm a little banged up. I'll need you to patch me up when I get to the warehouse."

"I'll get the first aid kit ready," Holly replied immediately, not asking any further questions before Jo hung up and continued on her way to the warehouse.

Not even twenty minutes later, she was limping through the large double doors, having parked the car just out front. George was the first to see her and he rushed to her side, sweeping her off her feet and carrying her to the old sofa in the middle of the warehouse. "What the hell happened?" he asked as he gently placed her down on the worn fabric.

Jo grunted as the movement aggravated her injuries, her vision a little fuzzy now that the adrenaline was leaving her body, and could barely get the sentence out as her stomach churned. "Stark's suits went all terminator on everyone in the damn building," she explained, her tongue heavy.

Holly went about tending to her injuries, beginning with the dislocated shoulder. Jo had let loose a colourful litany of curses when the shoulder was popped back into place by their resident doctor, still fighting the black spots that threatened to consume her vision. After that, she began to feel a little bit better; she certainly wasn't at risk of passing out from shock now. She hoped.

She explained everything that had happened as Holly patched up all of her visible wounds, Jo wincing every time a piece of glass was pulled from her foot. When Holly got to the burn on her side, she frowned. "You'll need to take your dress off so I can get to the burns properly," she stated clinically as she pulled burn cream and other things from her first aid kit.

George and Michael immediately turned their backs, both of them throwing a glare at Harley when all he did was give them a cheeky grin. As Morgan and Holly helped Jo get out of the dress, Harley shrugged off his large overcoat and handed it to the smaller woman who gave him a pinched smile as she was laid back on the sofa by Holly. Sitting in her bra and panties, Jo watched as Holly treated the burn on her side and then the one on her shoulder.

"There," she smiled after covering the burns with medical gauze and tape, "you can put the jacket on now."

Morgan helped her with the jacket and Jo smiled softly at the teenager she had taken in before she gave her brothers the all clear to turn around. They did so slowly, like they didn't believe she was telling them the truth. Jo rolled her eyes at them before she became serious. "What the hell happened up there?" she asked no one in particular, "someone or something had already hacked Stark before we got there. I tried to get the files we needed but whatever the hell it was deleted them from the computer and my phone simultaneously."

"What or who can do that?" Michael asked, everyone turning to look at their resident genius.

Morgan blushed under the weight of their stares. "I-I mean, _I_ could," she stuttered, "but not nearly as fast and not simultaneously. Whatever it is, it's wicked smart."

"And wicked dangerous," Jo added with a nod as she got to her feet with the help of Harley. She smiled at the taller man, nodding her head in thanks as she got her bearings. "It's time we leave," she informed them all, "Morgan, can you turn the tracker of the car back on when we leave so Stark can come find his car?"

"Sure," Morgan nodded, already moving to grab her laptop as everyone began cleaning up their things.

Jo wrote a quick note and placed it on the windshield of the Camaro as everyone piled into Holly's SUV. She gave the car one last longing look before climbing in the passenger seat and resting her head as they drove off.

* * *

Steve, Nat, and Barton had returned to Avengers tower where Stark was giving a newly awoken security guard a lecture. "I pay you enough money _not_to get distracted by an attractive woman that bats her eyelashes at you!" Steve had heard him yell as they had moved into the room.

Knowing that the guard had laid his hands on Stark's soulmate sent a surge of anger through him for his 'sometime' friend that he quickly squashed. Nat was throwing Stark knowing glances as she and Barton walked over to Hill who had been watching the security footage.

"She's good," he heard Hill say as he moved closer to the monitor. He watched the guard practically maul Stark's soulmate before she was turning around to kiss him moments before the guard fell unconscious. "She doesn't look at any of the cameras at all during the whole night," she continued, "keeps her head down or looking away so we can't get a full profile on her. Probably wouldn't have known who she was if she didn't get injured and left DNA for us to use."

"She's a good driver too," Barton piped up, "we lost her after a while and she somehow managed to turn the tracker off in the car."

This got Stark's attention and Steve watched as he practically stormed over to them, his face incredulous. "What do you mean, 'she managed to turn the tracker off?'" he questioned furiously, "I designed those myself and only _I_can control whether they go offline or not."

"Not anymore," Nat commented, smirking at the angry man, "looks like we may have found someone smarter than you, Stark."

Stark glared at Nat who continued to smirk. "There's no way she hacked my system while she was driving," he told them all, "she must have had help."

"You think she had a team?" Hill asked, already pulling up a list of any known associates she may have. "There's nothing on her after she was discharged from the military save that arrest and attempted murder charge. How can she not have any records?" she ground out, her eyebrow twitching as her anger rose. "We're running her DNA through every database we can so we can see if she had any other relatives besides her mother and brothers," Hill continued, "perhaps we can dig something up about her past as well."

"What did she do in the military?" Sam asked curiously, already thinking about people he could contact to get information on the woman.

"She was an Intelligence Officer," Barton replied and Steve watched as Sam nodded before he fished his phone out of his pocket and walked away to make a few calls. "We just got a hit on the tracker," he continued, holding up the Stark pad to show them the flashing red dot.

Steve was already heading for the door when Nat walked passed him, "hurry up, Rogers, I'm driving."

"_I'm_ driving," Stark said as he passed Steve and Nat, "they're _my_ cars."

Maria watched them leave before her attention was drawn back to the computer as it dinged to let her know it had found a match. Her jaw slackened as she looked at the picture on the screen, unbelieving of what she was seeing.

"Well, that certainly makes things interesting," she said to the empty room as she pulled out her phone and hit speed-dial.

* * *

They drove in relative silence to a warehouse in downtown New York. The car hadn't moved since the tracker had been switched back on. Steve knew there wouldn't be anyone there but they were going to pick up Stark's car and see if they might get any leads on where they'd gone.

The Camaro was parked outside of the warehouse and Stark immediately moved for it. Nat and Steve moved towards the open doors and into the building.

"They're certainly not amateurs," Nat said as they spied the burnt sofa and the smell of bleach reached their noses. When Steve remained quiet, Nat turned to look at him. He was looking at a blood stain on the ground, the bleach unable to completely get rid of it.

Nat laid her hand on his arm and squeezed gently but firmly knowing Steve was feeling guilty that the woman had gotten away whilst she was injured. "She'll be fine," she told him.

"How do you know?" he asked.

Nat shrugged, "because she not only managed to break into Stark's private labs, knock out a security guard, _and_ fight off Stark's suits; she also managed to jump down a flight of stairs with _only_ a dislocated shoulder. Then, she proceeded to drive with said dislocated shoulder, managed to evade _me_ and she managed to do all of this without slowing down. If anything, she'll be more than fine and I can't wait to meet her and watch her give Stark a run for his money."

Steve didn't smile at the words Nat said but he did feel himself relax. He nodded at Nat as Stark walked into the warehouse, a small piece of paper clutched in his hand. "This for you, Old man," he said, slapping the paper to Steve's chest before he turned and left the building again.

He looked down at the piece of paper and felt his ears heat up.

**Tonight, was fun, Baby Blue, if our paths ever cross again how about you take me for a ride on that gorgeous motorcycle? Play your cards right and we might be able to arrange an entirely different kind of ride.**

**P.S. Tell the redhead she drives like a badass.**

"Oh, I really can't wait to meet her," Nat said as she glanced at the piece of paper, her lips stretching into a smirk.

Steve couldn't speak, the ability lost to him as his eyes continued to take in the note, she had left for him. He heard Nat snort beside him before she was shoving him in the direction of the warehouse door. "Come on, Rogers," she said, "let's go see if we can find any leads on Miss Campbell."

He just hoped Stark hadn't read the note, he didn't want to put up with the man when he found out _his _soul mate had just flirted with another man.

It was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three chapters in one day! Honestly, I'm just going to post them as I write them. So, updates will probably be random but I'll try and opt for three or four a week. Hope you enjoy this chapter and please drop me a review and let me know what you think so far!
> 
> Much Love,
> 
> Persephone.

When they had gotten back to her apartment, Jo had been ready to call it a night and go to bed. She was still wearing Harley's coat, her dress thrown over her arm as she frowned at it every now and again; her mom was going to be pissed with her for ruining it. Jo heard the others walk in behind her but paid them no mind as she moved down the hall and into her bedroom.

She hissed as she removed the coat, the action aggravating her wounds, before she pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a black singlet. Jo tried to put her hair up but eventually gave up, swearing as she threw her hair tie across the room. A deep chuckle from behind her made Jo turn to the door and she glowered as she saw George leaning against the doorframe.

"Want some help, Jojo?" he asked, already stepping into the room and making his way over to the discarded hair tie. He grabbed her hairbrush off the vanity and stepped behind her before she could answer him. Jo's entire body relaxed the moment he began running the brush and his fingers through her hair, finding comfort from the familiar gesture. "Are you sure you're okay?" George asked as he began to braid her hair for her.

"I'm fine," she grunted, "until mom sees my dress anyway."

She saw George wince and throw a glance over his shoulder at the ruined dress. "Can't say I envy you when that moment comes," he muttered as he pulled strand after strand into the braid before he finished it off. George yanked lightly on her braid, smiling at her reflection before his eyes zeroed in on the hickeys on her neck and she saw his jaw tighten and his right eye tick. "We need to come up with better ways for you to get into buildings," he growled, "you might want to cover those up before Michael sees it."

"I'm just going to go to bed," she told him, "but I'll make sure to cover them in the morning, okay?"

George didn't reply, he merely gave her a nod before he quietly left the room. Jo took a moment to study her reflection in the mirror, seeing the soul mark on her shoulder brought back that familiar bitter feeling she often got when she saw it. Jo knew she should remove all the makeup before she went to bed but she was just too exhausted by everything that had happened and decided she'd much prefer just to go to sleep. If she got makeup on her sheets, she'd just wash them in the morning.

Turning away from her vanity, Jo moved over to her bed and gingerly laid down. She groaned as the action aggravated her wounds but managed to find a position that was somewhat comfortable. Her mind raced over the events of tonight before her eyes fluttered shut.

* * *

Tony didn't know what was bothering him more. The fact that someone had not only managed to break into his private lab, take out his rogue suits, steal one of his cars, _and _disable his specially designed trackers; or the fact that his soul mark had flared up multiple times that night.

The first time had been when a woman whose face he hadn't had the chance to see had bumped into him. When that had happened, he had felt nervous anticipation. It had surprised him so much that the mark had done anything at all that he had just stood there dumbly for a moment, not even trying to turn to face her as she apologized.

The second time had been a little later on. He had felt revulsion and a sense of being very uncomfortable before that feeling gave way to aggravation.

He hadn't been prepared for the small twinges of pain he had felt during the fight and he certainly hadn't been prepared for the massive flare of pain _after_ the fight when Cap had gone after the woman who had broken into his lab. Tony wasn't stupid; he knew that the things he was feeling weren't _his _feelings but those of his soul mate. He just hadn't expected to suddenly feel something after so long of feeling nothing.

He found himself sitting in front of his monitor and going over the video feeds that features Miss Campbell; trying to figure out what the hell had happened tonight. Tony watched the way she moved and found himself captivated by the graceful way she walked and the gentle sway of her hips as she practically danced through the crowd of people.

When it came to the footage of her in the lab, he listened closely to the audio and realised that she did, in fact, have a team working for her. He had been more than surprised when whoever was on the other side of the phone began hacking his systems with more ease than should have been possible. The person seemed to know exactly how to get passed all of his protection and didn't even hesitate in doing so. It would have been amazing had she, or he, not been hacking _him_.

He hadn't missed when Ultron had said she wasn't human and he had begun running scans on the blood she had left behind on his floor to discover several markers that told him the woman was a mutant. Tony had been intrigued by that revelation and then frustrated that her blood didn't really tell him what her mutation was. He had met a few mutants over the years; Charles Xavier being one of the more prominent ones he had conversed with. Tony had nothing against mutants; he believed that they were the future especially with how much more frequent mutant genes were appearing in newborns.

When he came to the footage of her saving Cap from one of his suits, Tony noticed something on her burnt shoulder and paused the frame before zooming in. His breath caught in his throat at the familiar symbol that stood out on her tanned skin and Tony could feel his heart trying to beat its way out of his chest.

With shaking hands, he reached for his phone and dialled the one person he could always rely on in these situations.

"_Tony? Do you have any idea how late it is?_"

He probably would have come up with some smartass comment if he wasn't too busy staring at the soul mark on the woman's shoulder. _His _soul mark. "I found her," he breathed into the phone and he heard rustling before Pepper's voice came over the phone again, more awake than she was a moment ago.

"_What?_" she asked, startled, "_how? When?_"

"She was breaking into my lab earlier," he explained, still watching as she ducked the bullet Hill fired at her and Tony swore his heart stopped as he watched the footage of her jumping in the stairwell. "When the suits went rogue she helped Cap and then made off with one of my cars," he continued as he watched her smirk and salute Cap before she drove out of the garage.

He looked around him for a moment to make sure he was alone before he accessed the private camera feed he had installed in all of his cars. Tony watched as she steered his car with almost expert precision.

Pepper snorted, "_figures your soul mate would be a criminal,_" she stated amusedly. "_What was she after anyway?_"

"I don't know," Tony answered, "whatever it was, she didn't get it. Ultron deleted everything I had on the computers. Only hard copies left now."

"_Do you think she'd come back for those?_" Pepper asked curiously.

Tony shrugged even though he knew she couldn't see it. "I have no idea," he replied,  
"is it weird that I hope she does?"

"_Is it weird that you want your soul mate to try and steal from you again? Given the circumstance I'll say no but it's a little weird, Tony._"

He listened in as Jordan spoke to someone on the phone, asking them to disable the tracker in the car before talking to someone else about getting medical attention. Her eyes were a little glazy and there were moments when she swerved a little before she'd right herself a moment later. It was then that the tracker and the camera in the car went dead; no doubt the work of whoever she had been talking to on the phone.

"I don't know what to do," he sighed as he switched off the monitors and reclined in his seat, "she obviously knows who I am but she's never tried to contact me."

"_Do you blame her, Tony?_" Pepper asked gently, "_your exploits with women have never exactly been a secret. No woman wants to think their soulmate is a playboy. You've even called yourself one. Put yourself in her shoes for a few moments and think about how that must feel to her._"

Her words stung a little but Tony knew Pepper had a point. The media was all too happy to advertise his many escapades with women. What the media didn't know was that Tony had been desperate to find his soulmate and had done it the only way he knew how. Sure, there were probably better ways he could have gone about it but that was in the past now and the past couldn't be changed. He just hoped his past would completely ruin his chances with his soulmate.

"_So, what's her name?_"

Tony smiled, knowing Pepper was trying to keep him from getting stuck in his head. "Jordan," he answered softly, pulling up her file, "Jordan Campbell."

"_Jordan. I can't wait to meet her, Tony._"

And he knew she meant it. Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey had been the only people to ever know how much he desired to meet his soulmate and all three of them were eager to meet the woman who was destined for him.

"Me too," he sighed.

"_Just give it time,_" she told him softly, "_let her see the real Tony Stark; not the mask you put on for the rest of the world. Show her exactly why she should be happy to have you as her soulmate. And get some sleep, Tony. Don't make me ask twice._"

"Yes, ma'am," he chuckled, hanging up the phone a moment later.

Tony sighed heavily, scrubbing his face with his hands as he pulled himself away from the monitor and towards his room. The others had already gone to their separate rooms, all of them ignoring him completely for the new mess they found themselves in. Tony knew he'd fucked up; but he wished they could see why he had done what he had. He wished they could see that he wasn't okay and that Ultron hadn't been about just protecting the planet; it was about protecting his family.

He shrugged out of his clothes and threw on a pair of sweat pants before he crawled into bed and laid down on his back. Tony stared up at the ceiling for what fell like hours; trying to get his mind to quiet down enough for him to get some sleep. He looked over at his bedside table when a small beep alerted him to a message and his eyebrows furrowed at the words that appeared on the screen.

**She's fine. Get some sleep, Mr. Stark; you're gonna need it.**

The words seemed to lift a weight off his shoulders that he hadn't even realised was there until that moment and Tony found his mind quieting. He knew he should be worried that some hacker was apparently accessing his system but there was nothing left for them to take and the hacker had only assured him that his soulmate was fine after her injuries. With that final thought, Tony felt his eyes grow heavy before he was pulled into sleep.

* * *

_She couldn't breathe. Smoke filled the air and each breath felt like she was setting her own lungs on fire. Whatever she had been hoping to do, killing herself had certainly not been a part of it. She just wanted the pain to stop; wanted them to stop experimenting on her and leave her be. But she had known that would never happen if she didn't escape._

_Jo had waited for the guard change over, having memorised it during her periods of lucidity. The scientist typed away at the computer behind her, completely absorbed in what he was doing. They had become compliant around her, believing her not to be threat because she was under heavy sedation. Or so they thought. Her body burned through the sedative at a much faster rate than other humans and she had made sure to note how long it took._

_By some merciful god, the sedative had worn off half an hour ago and she now had full use of her limbs. Her body screamed at her, no sedative meant she could feel everything they had done to her and even as her body healed, she couldn't help but wonder what her limits were._

_Jo rolled off the uncomfortable slab they called an examination table and landed a lot heavier than she had hoped, her body unused to motion after so long of disuse. The scientist startled but before he could reach for the panic button on the wall beside him, she was up and tackling him._

_She had only meant to knock him unconscious but her hands seemed to move on their own accord and she felt a primal satisfaction when she heard his neck snap. She picked up his access card and grabbed one of the scalpels still coated in her blood from earlier before she slipped from the room silently._

_Her body was sluggish, her movements over exaggerated and slow. Occasionally, she'd have to lean against the wall as her vision was assaulted by black spots. Eventually, the alarm began to blare loudly, making her drop the scalpel as her hands flew up to cover her ears._

Jo startled awake; her eyes wide and her hands covering her ears before she looked down to see the alarm had been her phone and not the alarm that told her they would be coming for her. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and Jo felt the heavy beads of sweat moving down her body and knew her sheets were probably damp because of it.

She rolled over onto her side, bringing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her as a tear fell from her eye. Jo tried to mentally assure herself that everything was okay. She forced her hand away from her body to grip onto the fabric of her sheet; forcing her mind to commute that the soft sheets felt nothing like the cold rags they had covered her naked form with. She inhaled deeply, the smell of fresh air and vanilla filling her nose not blood and sterile cleaning products.

When Jo finally had enough control of her mind, she unravelled herself and got out of bed, moving sluggishly over to her ensuite bathroom. She peeled off all of her clothes and gingerly removed the bandages covering her shoulder, side, and feet. The water stung when she moved under the hot spray but Jo ignored it as she began the arduous process of removing all the makeover that had been applied to her body last night. It took her longer than she cared to admit and then some when she had to wash all of the hair products out of her hair after. When she was done, Jo's mind was far clearer than it had been and, as usual, she chose to ignore what had happened earlier as she got dressed for the day.

She looked in the full length mirror of her room and smiled at herself. This was here, the _real _her. She wasn't made for the high-society life that her mother craved more than anything. Jo wasn't going to ever be the kind of girl who loved fancy jewellery and expensive clothes. She loved her Lynyrd Skynyrd ripped tee and black ripped jeans. She loved her tattoos; every single one of them that covered her arms, knuckles, chest, legs, and back. Jo was more comfortable working on a car than she was shopping for shoes and shit like that. Hell, the only pair of shoes she owned were he worn combat boots that Morgan had bought for her for her last birthday.

Her hair was in a messy ponytail; some strands already falling out of place but she couldn't care less. This was the real Jordan Campbell and she doubted a billionaire like Tony Stark could ever love her the way she deserved to be loved. She didn't want to live the rest of her life like she had last night; her tattoos being covered and her hair being painfully tugged into a perfect up-do. She didn't want to put on a mask in front of the world simply to appease the wealthy who believed they were better than everyone who had less money and prestige than they did.

No. Jo doubted Tony Stark could love the real her; and she wouldn't want to force him to. Contrary to popular belief, Jo did have a soft spot for her soulmate. How could she not? He was the man she was destined for. It helped that he was handsome and wicked smart but the last thing she wanted was for him to think he could change her to fit his world. She'd never fit into his world; she was no Pepper Potts.

Shaking her head, Jo moved away from the mirror and over to her vanity where she spent a few minutes covering the hickeys the guard had given her the previous night. When she was confident Michael wouldn't see them on her, Jo finally left her bedroom and made her way into the kitchen.

Everyone was still asleep; not that she could blame them, it was only five in the morning after all. Jo had been an early riser ever since joining the military and the habit had never been broken even after she was discharged. She silently made her way around the kitchen, putting together a protein shake before grabbing a banana and heading towards the door. Throwing on a baseball cap and her leather jacket, Jo grabbed her keys and made her way out of the house.

Her morning walks had also become a habit over the last few years; something she did to help clear her head after her sleep was plagued with nightmares of her past. Jo would walk for several blocks before picking up breakfast for the others and making her way home. Sometimes, she would cook breakfast; her famous white chocolate pancakes were a favourite amongst her little family.

She made her way down the familiar streets, occasionally stopping to give some money to the homeless when she passed them. Jo didn't know what it meant to be homeless; even though her mother hadn't been well off before she had married her step-father; Jo had always had a roof over her head and food in her belly. She could appreciate the small things others took for granted and tried to give back whenever she could.

By the time she reached Starbucks it was nearing seven; the two-hour walk had cleared her head more than her shower had and Jo quickly ducked into the coffee shop to order. She was waiting in the small line patiently; quietly bobbing her head to the AC/DC song that was filtering softly through her headphones. She popped one of the small buds out of her ears as she approached the counter and recounted the very familiar order to the pimply teenager standing in front of her.

Jo was just reaching into her wallet for her money when she froze. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and the sense of being watched washed over her moments before someone spoke up from behind her.

"I've got this one."

She sighed heavily, turning to look at the man standing behind her in a hoodie and baseball cap himself. Jo looked him over critically as the teenager took his money and hurried off to make her coffee's.

She moved out of the way of the other customers, well aware that he was following her as she did. Jo wanted to ignore him; she really did. But she knew that ignoring people would only work for so long before you would have to talk to them. So, with a heavy sigh, Jo turned to face him with a frown on her face; wanting to get this conversation over with.

"What do you want, Fury?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is a little shorter than the others but I felt like it needed to be included. I wanted Jo to already have a foothold in the Avenger's world and Fury was my in. This Chapter kind of elaborates on how they know each other and the next chapter will be from Tony's POV and our couple finally meets for the first time. Hope you guys enjoy.
> 
> Much love,
> 
> Persephone.

Fury looked her over, seeing the dark bags under her eyes that she had tried to half-heartedly hide with make-up before she had left the house. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but he was concerned for her health when he saw her looking like this. Especially with everything that had happened the other night which Hill had informed him of shortly after it had happened; along with a few interesting new facts as well.

"What the hell do you want, Fury?" she repeated, aggravation clear in the tone she used with him but Fury simply continued to look her over.

All of her tattoos were on display and he almost smiled at a few of them but quickly stopped himself. This wasn't a social call; they never were when it came to Jordan Campbell. He had had to explain the situation to Hill last night and make sure she knew that anything he told her was to be kept confidential from everyone. He had worked too hard to keep Jo as safe as possible; a favor he owed her mother from before she had decided being rich was more important than being a mother.

He motioned towards an empty booth in the corner of the coffee shop and watched as she rolled her eyes before she stormed over to the little area. She sat down heavily, folding her arms over her chest as she glared at him with those piercing dark eyes.

"I heard you broke into Stark's private lab last night," he began with a raised eyebrow, "I also heard you saved Cap from one of Stark's suits and got injured in the process."

"You hear a lot for a dead man," she commented acerbically, "couldn't pick up a damn phone and tell me you were okay?"

"It was need to know."

"I attended your funeral."

"It was for the best."

"I _cried _for you," she hissed vehemently.

That surprised him. Jo rarely cried for anything; not with everything she had suffered through in the past. He felt a small pit of guilt well up inside of him but quickly squashed it. He was here for a reason and this wasn't it.

"I want you to come work for me."

She snorted, "we've been over this. Want me to give you the same answer as last time?"

He could clearly remember the sarcastic, "fuck off," she had given him the last time he had tried to recruit her. Fury shook his head, "SHIELD could use someone with your skills."

"SHIELD doesn't exist anymore; Cap made sure of that when he leaked all of SHIELD and Hydra's secrets," she replied, "tell me, _Nick_; how does a man as paranoid as you not realize you're working for a bunch of Nazi assholes?"

"That's not relevant right now, Jordan," he admonished, "I want you to come work with me and this time I have something I know you want."

"What could you possibly have that would make me want to work for you?" she scoffed.

He leaned forward, looking at her over the rim of his sunglasses.

"I found your father. Your _real _father."

* * *

Jo had walked home in a daze after her little conversation with Fury. She tightly gripped the cup tray full of coffee and the croissants she had bought in the other hand.

"_I found your father. Your _real _father._"

The words played on repeat in her mind and a large part of Jo wished she could believe that they were true. She knew that Fury rarely ever lied to her; he had been a part of her life since she was little, even if her mother wasn't aware of it. Fury had helped her get into the military; vouching for her and helping her to train for basic training. He had also been the one to head the rescue mission that had saved her from captivity when she had gone MIA during a simple recon mission.

Fury knew better than anyone how long Jo had been searching for her father. Her mother never spoke of him except to tell her that he had been there one minute and gone the next. She always had a semi disgusted look on her face when she spoke of him. Jo had tried every source she could to try and find him, even getting Morgan to hack into every mainframe she could to run her DNA for any potential matches besides her mother and brothers. There had been nothing so there was no way that Fury could do something she had failed so epically in.

She knew he wanted her to join SHIELD but the part of her that looked up to him as a sort of father figure wanted to believe that he wouldn't sink so low as to lie to her to get her to work for him. The part of her that craved her father just hoped what he had offered was true and she was thankful that Fury had allowed her to think on it before she made her decision. He had given her the number of a burner phone with specific instructions to contact him when she made her decision.

She didn't know what to do and Jo hated not knowing what to do. The walk home was quicker than she wanted and Jo forced herself to push her problems to the back of her mind, smiling lightly as she entered her apartment to absolute chaos.

Michael was running away from Morgan who was screeching furiously at the older man as George sat against the wall, holding his sides as he laughed. His face was a startling shade of red and he had entered the stage of laughter where no sound escaped his lips. Jordan wanted to frown at their behavior but this was her family; this was how they acted with each other on a regular basis and it always drew a smile from her.

"I'm gonna kill you, Michael!" she heard Morgan shout as they ran from the living room to the kitchen where they proceeded to run around the table.

"Gotta catch me first, Squeaks."

Morgan made a high pitched sound as her face flushed red with her anger. Squeaks; it had been the nickname she was dubbed with when they realized that Morgan would squeak whenever she experienced emotions strongly. They all found the sound cute but Michael and George continued to tease her mercilessly about it.

"Would you idiots pipe down! I'm trying to sleep!"

Everyone turned to see Jo standing at the front door just as she turned to see a furious Holly standing behind her. Jo took a large step away from the incensed woman. Holly was the kindest person she knew but she was downright terrifying when she was angry and Jo didn't want to earn her ire by standing in her way.

Everyone paused in her apartment. George stopped laughing and Michael and Morgan paused mid run to stare at Holly, their faces rapidly paling.

"I know I agreed that living next door was easier for missions but that does not mean I need to put up with this so early in the morning," Holly continued as she stepped further into the apartment. She made her way over to George and grabbed him by his ear, forcing him to stand before she dragged him into the kitchen.

Jo followed behind shortly, trying to smother her smile so Holly wouldn't see it.

"Sit."

The command was simple but Jo watched as her siblings and Morgan rushed to do as Holly told them, practically throwing the chairs back to park their asses down. Jo placed the coffees and croissants on the table before she picked up the largest cup and handed it to the pissed off woman.

"I love you," Holly said, her eyes softening and everyone taking a collecting sigh of relief.

Angry Holly was scary; angry Holly without her morning coffee? Jo would rather take on all of the Avengers at once.

Everything seemed to settle down after that and conversation at the table was pleasant as everyone ate.

Jo had walked down the hall to the last apartment on the floor and let herself in with the spare key. It was true that they had all decided to get apartments in the same building to make missions easier. Jo had also wanted everyone close so she could protect her little family easier; she couldn't do that if she had to navigate New York traffic to get to them. Not everyone could fly above traffic.

She walked into the only room and didn't even bat her eye at Harley's naked form sprawled out on the bed. She had seen him in far more compromising positions; it helped that he was good to look at.

Jo wasted no time in walking over to him and shaking his shoulder. "Wake up," she said simply, "we have planning to do."

"Why?" he grunted as he turned onto his stomach to bury his face in his pillow, "we tried. We failed. Everything was wiped."

She rolled her eyes as she moved to the bathroom. Honestly, she had done this enough times that she was still surprised Harley insisted on fighting her when she came to wake him up.

"Do you honestly think Stark wouldn't have hard copies of those files we need?" she questioned him as she grabbed the cup off the top of the cabinet and filled it with water, "we need to come up with a plan to get me into the tower and to those files."

She walked out of the room and saw that Harley had fallen asleep again. Without hesitation, she moved around his bed so she was standing directly beside him and raised the cup so it was over his head.

What she hadn't been expecting was for Harley's hand to suddenly shoot out and grab her wrist before he was flipping her over him. She fell onto his bed on her back and barely had a moment to contemplate what the hell had just happened before Harley was leaning over her and grinning proudly.

"Told you I'd eventually get the better of you one of these mornings."

The cup had fallen from her hand and the water had spilt onto the ground in her surprise. His comment quickly lifted whatever surprise had remained before Jo glared at him, wrapped her legs around his waist, and began squeezing tightly. She could see when he was beginning to hurt as the corner of his left eye began to tick. "Tap out," she ordered smugly only to roll her eyes again when he shook his head stubbornly.

Jo rolled her wrist, freeing herself from his grip for only a moment before he was grabbing both of her wrists and pinning them above her head. "I still have the upper hand," she explained simply, once again tightening her hold on him until he gasped, "tap out, Harley. You surprised me this morning; take whatever win you can."

He was about to reply when there was an amused cough from the door of the room that had both adults turning to see a smirking Morgan and two pissed off twins.

Harley jumped off of her like she had burned him; holding his hands out as he moved away from the bed. "This isn't what it looks like," he quickly stuttered as the two brothers moved passed Morgan who kept her eyes firmly on Jo, the twins' eyes never leaving his. "Jo?" he asked, looking to her for help.

She shrugged, rolling off the bed and walking over to Morgan. "Guys, back off," she said, "you know Harley and I do this regularly. It's a part of his training. I do the same with all of you."

"We're never naked when you do," Michael hissed, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists tightly.

"Holly is sometimes."

That stopped all three men as Morgan burst out laughing. Jo didn't even bat an eyelash. She wasn't joking; she had seen Holly naked many times whenever it was Jo's turn to wake up the good doctor. However, unlike Harley; Holly was more alert and had gotten the better of Jo on multiple occasions. Holly might be a healer but she could certainly fight when needed and it made Jo feel better knowing her family was capable of protecting themselves if they ever needed to; which was sometimes more often than not in their chosen profession.

Morgan and Jo left the men alone after her comment and made their way back to their own apartment. "Morgan," Jo began when she entered her room, having motioned for Morgan to follow her, "how do you feel about your father?"

She saw Morgan eye her curiously before she replied, "I never met him. He died before I was born."

"I'm sorry," Jo said, placing a hand over Morgan's.

Morgan shrugged, "I never met him so I've never really felt that loss. You know? Mum used to tell me a lot about him until she just stopped talking."

"What happened?"

"She died," Morgan whispered, "killed in a car accident when I was seven. My aunt took me in after that until I was ten and then I ran away."

"Why?"

"Because I needed to get away."

Jo didn't ask her to elaborate. She knew all about the need to just run away from a bad memory better than most. So, she continued on with her original line of questioning.

"If you could have met your father, would you have taken the opportunity?"

"Is this about Fury telling you that he found your father?" Morgan asked softly.

"Do I even want to know how you know about that?"

The teenager rolled her eyes before she looked at Jo with concerned eyes. Jo gulped before she nodded her head silently. Morgan moved shortly after her nod of acknowledgement and Jo suddenly found herself wrapped in slim arms. "I would have done anything to meet my father," she answered honestly, "to see if he was even half the man my mum made him out to be. Family's important, Jo; you know that just as much as I do. But, just because you share the same blood as this guy, doesn't mean you should feel obligated to meet him. If you chose not to, we'll all still be here for you."

"You're all my family," Jo mumbled into Morgan's shoulder.

"And we still will be even if you decide you want to meet your father. We'll just have an extra member."

And somehow, this fifteen-year-old girl had managed to clear the doubt from her mind with just one conversation.

Suddenly, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

* * *

"Miss Campbell, Fury wasn't expecting your entire... team."

Jo looked at the serious looking woman as she tried to figure out why she seemed so family. It only took her a moment before she realised why that was. "Hey, you the one that shot at me the other night!" she exclaimed, a large grin on her face, "nice aim."

"You shot at her?!" Michael and George exclaimed simultaneously.

The woman gave them all a long, hard look before she rolled her eyes, turned away from them, and motioned over her shoulder for them to follow her as she walked away. Jo was about to follow when two calloused hands grabbed her arms and dragged her back towards her little family.

"What the hell, Jordan," Michael hissed, "why the hell didn't you tell us you were shot at? You could have at least told Holly; she needed to know this stuff when she was patching you up."

"Had the bullet hit its mark, Holly wouldn't have had to patch me up because I would have died," Jo replied sternly, "now, we can continue this conversation later; Fury really doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"How do you know this guy anyway?" Harley asked as they continued their trek after the stern woman.

"I've known Fury since I was little," Jo shrugged, "he's always just kind of been there and there've been time in my life when I've been grateful for that more than I could possibly express."

She hadn't even realised that her body had stiffened and her hand had subconsciously moved to her chest. There were no scars but she could still feel the phantom pains of them cutting into her chest during one of their experiments. It had been done without antiesthetic and Jo had been forced to bear it until her body finally fell into unconsciousness. They would then stop and wait until she woke up before the process would begin again.

A calloused hand over her own drew her away from the dark thoughts swirling in her mind moments before she could have another episode and she looked up to see Michael studying her closely.

"He was there."

It wasn't asked as a question but she still felt like she needed to justify it with an answer. "He saved me," she whispered in a small, child-like voice, "he was the first kind touch I had felt in two years and I've never seen him look so fierce. He was my guardian angel, Mikey."

"Then I guess we owe him one," Michael told her softly, tightening his hold on her hand slightly before loosening it again. He didn't let her hand go as they followed the woman, Hill, into a large room bustling with a few other people. It was only then did Michael drop her hand and she watched as he and George moved over to Fury who was standing in the middle of the room looking at a series of monitors.

All three men seemed to size each other up before Michael held out his hand, "it looks like I have a lot to thank you for."

Jo met Fury's gaze before she quickly looked away. She only looked up again when she no longer felt his burning gaze on her and saw his own hand meeting her brother's in a firm shake. "That won't be necessary," he answered simply, "I had my own reasons for doing what I did."

"And what was that?"

"George!" Jo exclaimed, moving forward only to stop when Harley held her back and shook his head.

"You gotta let this happen, Jo," he whispered into her ear.

"That's none of your business," Fury answered, his good eye narrowing.

"When it's our sister it becomes our business."

The stare off continued for another moment and Jo had no clue what the hell happened but suddenly Michael and George were backing down with matching nods of their heads. Fury gave them one in return before he looked over at the remainder of their group. "I wasn't expecting you to bring your entire team, Jordan," he began, "but I can't say I'm not happy for it.

"Okay, people. Let's get to work."


End file.
